13. Seeing that Jehovah has chosen Zion,
137137 Solomon’s Temple was built on mount Moriah, and not on mount Zion. But as Moriah was just at the end of Zion, it was sometimes
reckoned a part of that mount, and was called by its name. Even the Temple and its courts are so designated, (Psalm 65:1; and Psalm 84:7.) Zion may,
however, be here put for Jerusalem in general.
he hath desired it for his habitation. 14. This is my rest for ever, here will I dwell: because I have desired it. 15. Blessing I will bless her provision, I will satisfy her poor with bread; 16. And I will clothe her priests with salvation
138138 In Psalm 132:9, the prayer of the Psalmist to God is, that the priests may be clothed with righteousness; and in this concluding portion
of the Psalm, where God is declaring what he will do to the king and city of his people, he promises to grant even more than
was asked for in this petition; for, says he, ‘I will clothe her priests with salvation;’ not
with righteousness only, but with what is the consequence or reward of righteousness, viz., salvation.” ­ Phillips.
and her merciful ones shall shout aloud for joy.

13. Seeing that Jehovah has chosen Zion. By coupling the kingdom with the priesthood and sanctuary service, he declares it still more emphatically to have been of
divine and not human appointment. The connection is not to be overlooked, on another account. The true strength and stability
of that kingdom were in Christ, and Christ’s kingdom is inseparable from his priesthood. This may explain why mention is made
of Zion being chosen. God decreed nothing in relation to the kingdom, but what had a certain connection with the sanctuary,
the more perfectly to prefigure the Mediator who was to come, and who was both priest and king, after the order of Melchizedek.
The kingdom and tabernacle were, therefore, closely allied. Notice is taken of the reason upon which the choice proceeded
­ that mount Zion was not chosen for any excellency belonging to it, as we have seen, (Psalm 68:16,) but because such was the will of God. His good pleasure is specified in contrast with any merit in the place itself. This
is another proof of what we have already stated ­ that the covenant made by God with David proceeded from his mere goodness.

14. This is my rest for ever. The same truth is here put into the mouth of God, to give it additional weight; and it is declared not to have been in vain
that the Temple had been erected, since God would show effectually and by practical testimonies the delight which he had in
the
worship of his own appointment. God’s resting, or talking up his habitation, are expressions which denote his being present
with men in the manifestation of his power. Thus he dwelt in Zion, in the sense that there his people worshipped him according to the prescription of his law, and found besides the benefit
of the service in his favorable answer to their requests. It was eventually seen, in a very striking manner, that this was
the promise
of an infallible God, whet, after the Temple had been overthrown, the altar cast down, and the whole frame of legal service
interrupted, the glory of the Lord afterwards returned to it once more, and remained there up to the advent of Christ. We
all know in what a wicked and shameful manner the Jews abused the divine promise which is here made, under the impression
that it necessarily laid God under an obligation to favor them, taking occasion from if, in the pride of their hearts, to
despise,
and even cruelly persecute the Prophets. Luther on this account calls it “the bloody promise;” for, like all hypocrites who
make God’s holy name a covert for iniquity, they did not hesitate, when charged with the, worst, crimes, to insist that it
was beyond the power of the Prophets to take from them privileges which God had bestowed. With them to assert that the Temple
could be stripped of its glory, was equivalent to charging God with
falsehood, and impeaching his faithfulness. Under the influence of this spirit of vain confidence they proceeded such inconceivable
lengths in shedding innocent blood. Were the Devil of Rome armed with pretensions as splendid, what bounds would be set to
its audacity? As it is, we see how fiercely, and with what bloody pride it arrogates the name of the Church, while outraging
all religion, in open contempt of God and flagrant violation of humanity. But what of that? the hierarchy would
otherwise fall, and this must stand, if Christ would not desert his spouse the Church! The refutation of such a plea is not
far to seek. The Church is limited to no one place: now that the glory of the Lord shines through all the earth, his rest
is where Christ and his members are. It is necessary that we rightly understand what the Psalmist says of the everlasting
continuance of the Temple. The advent of Christ was “the time of reformation,” and the figures of the former Testament, instead
of
being then proved or rendered vain, were substantiated, and received their fulfillment in him. If it be still objected that
mount Zion is here spoken of as the everlasting residence of God, it is sufficient to answer that the whole world became an
enlarged mount Zion upon the advent of Christ.

15. Blessing I will bless, etc. God’s dwelling in the midst of the people was what constituted the great source of their blessedness; and now some of the
proofs are mentioned which he would give of his fatherly regard, such as preparing and administering their ordinary food,
relieving
their wants, clothing their priests with salvation, and filling all his people with joy and gladness. This it was necessary
should be added, for unless we have ocular demonstration of the divine goodness, we are not spiritual enough to rise upwards
to the apprehension of it. We have a twofold demonstration of it in the matter of our daily food; first in the earth’s being
enriched so as to furnish us with corn, and wine, and oil; and again in the earth’s produce being multiplied, through a
secret power, so as to provide us with sufficient nourishment. There is here a promise that God would exert a special care
over his own people to supply them with food, and that though they might not have a great abundance, yet the poor would be
satisfied. We must not omit mentioning the remarkable and ludicrous mistake which the Papists have made upon this passage,
and which shows the judicial stupidity they lie under to be such, that there is nothing so absurd they will not swallow. By
confounding two letters into one, for victus they read vidus, and then conjectured that this must be a mutilation for viduas ­ blessing I will bless her widows! Thus they made “widows” out of “food” ­ an extraordinary blunder, which we would scarcely credit, were it not a fact that they sing the word out in their temples
to this present day.
139139 “צידה, her provision. The word ציד signifies food which is taken in hunting, and then it is used to express food of any kind — provision generally. The Septuagint
has
θήραν, which denotes provision that has been hunted, and so obtained; but another reading of the Greek version τὴν χήραν αὐτὢς, which has been followed by the Vulgate, Arabic, and Ethiopic; the rendering of the Vulgate being viduam
ejus This corrupt reading is noticed by Jerome.” ­ Phillips.
But God, who blesses the food of his own people, has infatuated their minds, and left them to confound everything in their
absurd reveries and triflings. The inspired penman goes on to repeat what he had already said of other blessings, only the
term salvation is used instead of righteousness, but in
the same sense I already mentioned. Some understand it to have reference to purity of doctrine and holiness of life; but this
seems a forced interpretation, and he means simply that they would be safe and happy under the divine protection.

137 Solomon’s Temple was built on mount Moriah, and not on mount Zion. But as Moriah was just at the end of Zion, it was sometimes
reckoned a part of that mount, and was called by its name. Even the Temple and its courts are so designated, (Psalm 65:1; and Psalm 84:7.) Zion may,
however, be here put for Jerusalem in general.

138 In Psalm 132:9, the prayer of the Psalmist to God is, that the priests may be clothed with righteousness; and in this concluding portion
of the Psalm, where God is declaring what he will do to the king and city of his people, he promises to grant even more than
was asked for in this petition; for, says he, ‘I will clothe her priests with salvation;’ not
with righteousness only, but with what is the consequence or reward of righteousness, viz., salvation.” ­ Phillips.

139 “צידה, her provision. The word ציד signifies food which is taken in hunting, and then it is used to express food of any kind — provision generally. The Septuagint
has
θήραν, which denotes provision that has been hunted, and so obtained; but another reading of the Greek version τὴν χήραν αὐτὢς, which has been followed by the Vulgate, Arabic, and Ethiopic; the rendering of the Vulgate being viduam
ejus This corrupt reading is noticed by Jerome.” ­ Phillips.